Arsenal have a massive campaign ahead of them next season as they look to finally get over the line and bring the Premier League back to North London for the first time in over 20 years.
Mikel Arteta's side were almost perfect last year, with a best-in-class defence and a seriously impressive haul of 91 goals to boot, but given the level of competition, they'll need some more reinforcements before the transfer window slams shut.
This is clearly the feeling at the club as well, as, over the last few weeks, a number of genuinely top-class players, from Sporting CP's Viktor Gyokeres to Napoli's Victor Osimhen and countless others, have been linked with a move to the Emirates.
However, there was one star touted for a move to N5 earlier this summer, who, if signed, would be a real coup, although his arrival might be bad news for Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a report from Football Transfers back in mid-July, Arsenal were one of two sides tipped to sign Napoli's Georgian superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The links seemed to stem from the winger's former coach, Gela Davitadze, who named the Gunners and fellow Premier League side Manchester City as the two most suitable destinations for the Serie A winner.
However, if the North Londoners are to go back in for the 23-year-old phenom, they'd have to dig deep into their pockets, as the report claimed that he'd cost at least €100m, which converts to around £84m.
That said, to get the best, you have to pay a premium, and Kvaratskhelia is undeniably one of the most exciting widemen in Europe and would be a serious level-raiser at the Emirates, even if he'd potentially replace Martinelli.
How Kvaratskhelia compares to Martinelli
So, if the Gunners were to go back in for Kvaratskhelia this summer, there is little chance that he'd join without a guarantee of significant game time, although while he can play off the right, it would be incredibly surprising to see him replace Bukayo Saka.
Moreover, considering he has more experience playing off the left, he'd likely compete with Martinelli for a long-term place in the starting lineup.
So, how do the pair compare? Well, when we look at their raw output from the last couple of seasons, it's the "unstoppable" Georgian, as talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed him, who comes out on top.
In 45 appearances, he scored 11 goals and provided nine assists, meaning he averaged a goal involvement every 2.25 games.
However, as if that wasn't impressive enough, his form the season prior was something else entirely, as he scored 14 goals and provided 17 assists in just 43 appearances, equating to an incredible average of a goal involvement every 1.38 games.
In contrast, Arsenal's Brazilian dynamo can't quite match those numbers.
For example, last season, he produced 13 goal involvements in 44 appearances, averaging out to one every 3.38 games, while the campaign prior saw him produce 21 in 46 games, leading to a more impressive average of one every 2.19 games.
What about their underlying numbers, then? Does the Tiflis-born star win out when we examine what's happening under the hood?
Unsurprisingly, given their comparative output, the Napoli ace also comes out way ahead in practically every relevant underlying metric, including but not limited to non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, shots and shots on target, passing accuracy, key passes, shot and goal-creating actions and successful take-ons, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.59
0.58
Non-Penalty Goals + Assists
0.56
0.45
Progressive Passes
2.93
2.90
Progressive Carries
6.05
5.67
Shots
4.21
2.59
Shots on Target
1.48
0.89
Passing Accuracy
80.4%
77.9%
Key Passes
2.07
2.05
Shot-Creating Actions
5.10
4.10
Goal-Creating Actions
0.53
0.49
Successful Take-Ons
3.32
1.79
Ultimately, in every conceivable metric, Kvaratskhelia comes out ahead of Martinelli. Therefore, while he'd cost a king's ransom, Edu and Co should do what they can to secure his services.
He'd be a game-changing signing for Arsenal and could play a pivotal role in ending the club's extended title drought, as he did for Napoli.
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1 ByJack Salveson Holmes